Starting your own Garden

Starting Your Own Garden

As some of you may have heard, Diso and I were throwing around the idea of starting a garden on the roof of the gym. Unfortunately, the landlord said no. But, we aren't going to let that get us down. Having a  community garden for gym members would be so much fun. There is nothing more primal and paleo than growing your own veggies and spices. How awesome would it be to just walk outside after doing Fran and picking your own veggies for dinner? Anyway, ideas are still being tossed around so if you have any, we'd love to hear them.

(Click HERE for article)

I know a lot of us live in apartments that don't cater to our community garden dreams, but if you have your own space that could accomodate a garden, consider doing it. You can grow a lot of food in a small space. I found this article on RobWolf.com yesterday and took it as a sign from the crossfit gods that starting a community garden for PCF is something that just needs to be done. For those of you who have the spacial capabilities to start a garden, this article will be of much help to you. For those of you still dreaming, it's a nice inspirational read. :)

Eating Meat

Eating Meat: A Primer for the Meat-Challenged



I remember when I first started eating Paleo. I was still on the college diet. Anything that was cheap. Pasta, frozen pizza, peanut butter and jelly... anything from the 99 cent store. The thought of eating a big slab of meat for every meal was exhausting. But once I cut out grains, there really wasn't much else to eat. My new relationship with meat began. And I must say, this is a relationship that will last forever. I started out cooking simple things, things I knew. Ground meat and some chicken... that was etty much it. Then slowy, meat became something that I craved all the time. Now, I cook all kinds of fish, steak, fliet mignon, ground turkey, pork chops, you name it. 



Here is a helpful article from whole9life.com. It's breaks down reasons why meat is such a good thing and gives you tips on how to make it a regular staple of your diet. For those of you who still have a hard time eating meat, I highly suggest you read this. (Click HERE.)



Just a small side-note: When purchasing meat, try to buy grassfed as much as you can. Aside from the health benefits of not ingesting chemicals and antibiotics, they taste amazing! So juicy and tender. Remember, you eat what the animal eats. :)

Ask Diso about the monthly US Wellness Meat order he places every month. It's well worth your money!

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Chutney

Grilled Mahi Mahi with Mango Chutney

I made this last night for dinner and it turned out great. Not all of us are lucky enough to have a full-size grill, so I used a George Forman Grill and it worked just fine. The fish stayed super juicy, despite what I had expected.

Classic mango chutney has added sugar, but the recipe relied solely on the ripe mango for the sweet flavor of the dish. This mango chutney packs a powerful flavor punch, so they kept the seasoning for the fish more mild. They accompanied the dish with a simple cauliflower rice to bring it all together. You can find this recipe and more at primal-palate.com.

 Ingredients: Mango Chutney

• 2 ripe mangoes, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1/2 of a large red onion, chopped into bite size pieces
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
• The juice of 1.5 limes
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Process:

1. In a large frying pan, heat coconut oil on medium.
2. Add garlic and ginger to the frying pan and saute for 2 minutes.
3. Add red onion and red bell pepper to the frying pan and continue to saute for another minute.
4. Add the chopped mango, lime juice, curry powder, and red pepper flakes. Continue to saute until the red bell pepper, onion, and mango have softened. About 5 minutes.
5. Turn heat down to simmer, and cover with a lid until serving.

Ingredients: Grilled Mahi Mahi

• 4 Mahi Mahi filets (ours were about 5-6 oz in size each) (I used two big fillets from Trader Joe's)
• The juice of one lemon
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped

Process:

1. Combine marinade ingredients in a food processor until well blended. (I used a magic bullet)
2. Marinate the fish in a ziploc bag for up to 1 hour before grilling.
3. Heat grill to medium heat (about 400 degrees). If you have a fish plate for your grill, allow it to preheat as well.
4. Place fish on the grill, skin side down first. Cook for 4-5 minutes before flipping.
5. Cook opposite side for 4-5 minutes, until fish is opaque in the center.